U.K. woman with Skywalker for middle name has passport application rejected

A U.K. woman who changed her middle name to Skywalker a few years ago tried to get her passport renewed recently. However, Home Office officials didn’t get the joke and rejected her application.

In an interview with The BBC, Laura Matthews, 29, said she added the name of the iconic Star Wars family to her legal name for a “laugh.” When she went to get her passport renewed, she signed her name “L. Skywalker.”

The reason for the rejection was over copyright concerns, the Home Office said. We “will not recognise a change to a name which is subject to copyright or trademark,” the office said.

A spokesman explained, “We have a duty to ensure the reputation of the UK passport is not called into question or disrepute.”

Matthews, who now lives in Scotland, said that she doesn’t regret changing her name at all, despite the passport problem. The decision to become “Laura Elizabeth Skywalker Matthews” came after a conversation with friends.

The Home Office told Matthews that she will probably have to resubmit the application with her old signature. However, she will be able to have her full name typed out on the form.

Disney is currently working on a new Star Wars film, which will star Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker once again. Obviously, the Home Office didn’t want to get on Disney’s bad side.